LANSING - After an 18-month hiatus, Grand River Avenue in Old Town is open for business once more.

Business owners in the section of Lansing celebrated the end of the construction period on Grand River Avenue with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and celebration breakfast at Ramon’s Restaurant and Lounge, 718 E. Grand River Ave. in Lansing, Friday morning.

“We’ve had our road closed for nearly two years, and the road’s open now,” said Amy Collett, program manager for Old Town Main Street. “Any time a road is closed there is a loss of business. People can travel from East Lansing to Old Town unimpeded.

“That means more shoppers for us.”

The construction was part of a 30-year program to separate the city’s sanitary and storm sewers, said Michael Navabi, director of Lansing’s public service department. The work was a combined sewer overflow elimination project.

“The project has been very challenging from the very beginning,” Navabi said. “Our approach is to do the job once with no need to do it again.”

Lansing Mayor David Hollister said the upgrades are part of improving Lansing.

“We want to make it real clear that it’s open for business,” Hollister said.